Nightmares
by Jedipati
Summary: Two men, four hobbits, one elf, one dwarf, and one Maia. Nine beings with the weight of the world on their shoulders. How might that have affected them? Short, one-shot about five days into their journey.


I got this idea from "While the Ring Went South." It's by Thundera Tiger, and is it's a great story about the period after the fellowship has left Rivendell but before they reach Moria. Basically, it's a huge missing scene story, and I recommend it for anyone who likes adventure, drama, and a little humor. This story takes place during that time, but is just a small conversation between the nine of them, so it's not nearly so long.  
  
As always, any spelling or grammar problems are Toey's fault, but tell me if there is any or any serious plot or characterization problems.  
  
Nightmares  
  
Aragorn sighed as he shifted position. He'd taken the last watch that night, and there was fifteen minutes left before he had to wake his eight companions. He looked at each of them as he waited for them to wake. Gandalf the Grey shifted in his sleep. Legolas Greenleaf remained unmoving; his eyes open as he slept, like all elves. Boromir didn't move. Gimli was snoring, as usual. Meriadoc Brandybuck, Samwise Gamgee, and Peregrin Took all lay still. Finally, Aragorn looked at Frodo Baggins, who was laying a short distance from him. The Ringbearer was silent and still, and it looked as if he was finally getting some much-needed sleep. Frodo hadn't been sleeping well, not since they'd left Rivendell. He needed every bit of rest he could get.  
  
Aragorn shifted again. Ten minutes until it was time for the others to wake, and they'd continue their journey south. As he waited and watched, he thought about the dreams he'd been having. He didn't want to, but he had to consider that perhaps they were not just dreams, but warnings. He could see the fellowship in Moria. He knew, he knew in his bones that if they were to enter the mines that Gandalf would meet his end there.  
  
Aragorn heard a gasp, and he turned. Frodo was sitting up and gasping. "Another nightmare?" Aragorn asked quietly.  
  
Frodo started. "Yes. No, it's always the same one." He said softly.  
  
"Same one?"  
  
Frodo shook his head. "Never mind." He said.  
  
Aragorn watched the hobbit for a moment, before he looked out into the forest. "There is only five minutes left of my watch, so I don't suggest you try to sleep."  
  
Frodo sat for a few minutes, thinking, then he stood up and moved over to Aragorn. "Has it been quiet?" Frodo asked in a near whisper.  
  
Aragorn nodded. "Yes, but I think that you're not the only one who has been having nightmares." He said.  
  
Frodo looked at him sharply. "Have you?"  
  
Aragorn sighed. "Yes. But I think almost everyone else has as well." Then, he turned and began to wake the others. It was not an easy task.  
  
Pippin sighed as he rolled over. "Another wet day in the wild." He said. "Aren't you just glad to be alive?" He asked sardonically.  
  
Merry snorted. "It's better than the alternative." Boromir said. "Then any of the alternatives."  
  
"Thank you for that encouraging thought." Gimli said.  
  
Frodo sighed and began rolling up his bedroll as Sam and Gandalf began fixing breakfast. Legolas frowned. "What is wrong, Boromir?" He asked.  
  
Boromir shook his head. "Nothing." He said.  
  
"Dreams?" Aragorn asked.  
  
Everyone turned to look at him. "Yes." Boromir said reluctantly. "But a few bad dreams are nothing." He said.  
  
"So, I'm not the only one besides Mr. Frodo who's been having nightmares?" Sam asked as he pulled supplies out of various packs.  
  
"You too?" Gimli asked.  
  
"If I may make a guess, we have all been suffering from nightmares." Gandalf said.  
  
Everyone looked at each other before nodding. "I thought it was just Frodo and I." Pippin said.  
  
Frodo looked down. "I hope they're not as bad as mine." He said.  
  
Legolas sighed. "Elves do not normally dream." He began. "And when we do, it is normally pleasant. But my dreams of the past five nights have not been pleasant. I suspect that they were just as bad as yours, Frodo."  
  
Everyone else nodded. Gandalf looked at all of them. "I suppose, if we tell each other about them, it might help." He said. "I will start." Everyone looked over at him. He sighed. "It's different each time, but I see Middle Earth a wasteland, and all the lands I have visited black and lifeless. The only people still alive are slaves to Mordor." He looked into the forest, unseeing. "I also see three figures, with rings, serving the Dark Lord." He shuddered.  
  
Pippin sighed. "I'm back home, with most of my family, and then Black Riders attack." He said.  
  
Sam shook his head. "I see the Shire destroyed and everyone gone."  
  
Merry looked up at the sky. "Same as Sam, only I can see myself and my family as slaves."  
  
Gimli frowned. "My nightmares change, but mostly, I see a tall figure wearing a ring and destroying my people."  
  
"I see Mirkwood burning and my people being attacked and killed by orcs." Legolas said.  
  
Boromir sighed. "Minas Tirith burns, and my father and brother are taken by the dark lord. There are other images, but I don't understand them."  
  
Gandalf handed Aragorn a plate of food as the other frowned. "I see many things, most often I see the blade broken again, and Minas Tirith becoming a second Minas Morgul. I see Rivendell in flames, and other horrible things."  
  
Sam looked at Frodo, who was staring at his plate of food. "Mr. Frodo?" He asked.  
  
Frodo sighed. "I've had the same dream every night since we've left Rivendell." He said. "I see the world gone black, dead. Then, I'm standing somewhere, and all of you are there. But, it's like the land is covered in gray. I try to look around, but I can't control my body. Then, I see a tall figure, all black except for a ring on his right hand. Suddenly, I can move, all of us do. but we bow to him. And then I realize that I'm stuck in the wraith's world!"  
  
Everyone stared at him. "That's. some dream." Merry finally said weakly.  
  
Everyone was silent for a long moment. "Why are we all having these dreams?" Pippin finally asked.  
  
"It hopes to weaken us." Aragorn answered. "It knows our purpose, and seeks to hinder us."  
  
They were still. "We cannot allow It to do so." Gimli finally stated.  
  
Frodo turned to Gandalf. "Gandalf, is there any way to stop the dreams?" He asked.  
  
Gandalf shook his head. "I do not know of any." He said. "I did not anticipate this."  
  
"Was there any way to anticipate this?" Boromir asked.  
  
Aragorn and Gandalf exchanged brief glances. "I do not think that anyone would have anticipated this." Aragorn said after a moment. "But now that we know what is happening, we may be able to resist this aspect of the Ring's power."  
  
Legolas nodded slowly. "Perhaps, just as with the herbs that would loosen a tongue, it will not work if one knows beforehand."  
  
They were silent as they finished their supper- or breakfast, depending on if you went by the time of day, or by the fact that they had just woken up. It wasn't until they were already moving that Frodo said anything. "Obviously you all knew that I was having nightmares. When were you going to tell me that? I wouldn't have had to try and hide the fact."  
  
Gimli snorted unwillingly, and slowly, the dark mood that had fallen on them lifted.  
  
This is my first completed Lord of the Rings story. I hope you like it. Please read and review. Once again, this nuzgul was inspired by "While the Ring Went South", and a few of the phrases were also taken from that story, such as the breakfast or supper idea. Read that one too!  
  
P.S. If anyone can think of a better title, I'd appreciate it. 


End file.
